Gemmins
Gemmins — Otherworlders / Creatures What Magical Creatures Books / Stories Appear In * "Winter Was Hard" — Dreams Underfoot Defining Description Magical creatures who are the repositories for the good, positive memories of a place. Gemmin are the spirits of place, They make a place feel good and safeguard its positive memories. They leave a place when nasty things start happening—it used to be war and battle, now it is also be pollution. About "By night they nested in one of those abandoned cars that could be found on any street or alley of the Tombs—a handful of gangly teenagers burrowed under blankets, burlap sacks and tattered jackets, bodies snugly fit into holes that seemed to have been chewed from the ragged upholstery." ~ "Winter Was Hard" Home Gemmins nested in abandoned cars in the Tombs of Newford (city). Characteristics * An odd little gaggle of street girls; * The gemmins and the fairy’s in the story seem to be kindred spirits. * Build a fire in the trunk of a Buick and cook on the metal of its hood, scavenging fuel from the buildings. * the cold doesn't seem to bother them—"Cold is no trouble for us. We like the winter; we like any weather.” * Stored memories with song: they would sing a long song that was sort of a cross between a ballad and rap, and in some foreign language that was both flute-like and gritty—part of their oral tradition that kept alive the histories and genealogies of their people and the places where they lived. * they didn't seem prey to the sam shortcomings as humans, such as bad temper. Physical Description * They generally had thin androgynous bodies, dark complexions and feminine features. Babe had short mauve hair and luminous violet eyes. the other had various shades of henna red with electric blue eyes. Nature “Gemmin are the spirits of place, just like hobs are spirits of a house. They’re what make a place feel good and safeguard its positive memories. When they leave, that’s when a place gets a haunted feeling. And then only the bad feelings are left—or no feelings, which is just about the same difference.” ~ Frank Eye Color Symbolism According to Frank, Jilly's friend from the senior home, violet eyes arevtypical of Gemmin. Violet is made of blue and red—which, symbolically, stand for devotion and passion; blended into violet, they’re a symbol of memory. Other Details * Gemmin wasn’t a name that they used; they had no name for themselves. It was Frank Hodgers who told Jilly what they were * All the Gemmin say they miss Johnny Defalco who left town to doge a warrant. * They lived around there for all their lives. * Just being around them, made you feelbetter, creative, uplifted, happy Characters Characters of this Type Clark Building Gemmins: To expand the table, right-press on a row of the table or (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Character & Place Connections Events in the Series (spoilery area) * "Winter Was Hard" — Dreams Underfoot: Jilly met them in the Tombs. The lived in an abandoned car. Their presence helped Jilly forget her pain over a breakup. They may have taken frank with them when they left. See Also * Jilly Coppercorn * Tombs * Newford Series External Links * The Wordwood | Char / Gemmins browse * The Very Best of Charles de Lint: Part 5 | Stainless Steel Droppings *The Wordwood | Stories / WinterWasHard browse *Charles de Lint - Dreams Underfoot Category:Otherworlders Category:Creatures Category:Fairy